Universal Robots Series

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Overview

Item	Details
Manufacturer	Universal Robots A/S (Odense, Denmark)
Founded	2005
Type	Collaborative Robot (Cobot)
Market	Industrial automation, Research
Parent Company	Teradyne (acquired in 2015, USD 285M)
Global Installations	Over 50,000 units (as of 2020)

Company Background

Universal Robots was founded in 2005 in Odense, Denmark by three co-founders: Esben Østergaard, Kasper Støy, and Kristian Kassow. While conducting joint research at the University of Southern Denmark (Syddansk Universitet), they recognized the problem that the existing industrial robot market was dominated by large, heavy, and expensive robots.

Key Milestones

Year	Milestone
2005	Universal Robots founded (Odense, Denmark)
2008	First collaborative robot UR5 launched, entered Danish/German market
2008.12	First sale: UR5 delivered to Linatex (for CNC machine tending)
2012	UR10 launched
2015	UR3 launched (tabletop lightweight model)
2015	Acquired by Teradyne for USD 285M
2016	UR Academy and UR+ Ecosystem launch
2018	e-Series generation announced (Automatica Munich)
2019	UR16e launched
2020	50,000 global cumulative installations achieved
2022	UR20 announced (next-gen large payload model)
2023	UR30 announced (maximum payload model)
2024	New Odense headquarters opened with MiR (20,000 sqm)

Key Significance

“The pioneer who changed the paradigm of industrial automation by developing the world’s first commercial collaborative robot”

1. Commercialization of the Cobot Concept

Universal Robots was the first to commercialize the collaborative robot (Cobot) concept, where humans and robots can safely collaborate in the same space. Unlike traditional industrial robots that had to operate only within safety fences, UR robots can operate in most applications without safety barriers through force limiting and collision detection features.

2. Democratization of Programming

The intuitive PolyScope graphical interface and 12-inch touchscreen dramatically lowered the barrier to robot programming. General workers can quickly set up and redeploy robots without specialized robot engineers.

3. Ecosystem Building

Through the UR+ Ecosystem, they built a platform where third-party developers can develop and sell compatible products (grippers, sensors, software). This ensures compatibility with various end-effectors and expands the range of applications.

4. Formation of the Danish Robotics Cluster

Universal Robots’ success contributed to the formation of a robotics cluster centered on Odense, Denmark. Currently, there are over 400 robot companies in Denmark with total revenues exceeding $2.8 billion.

Product Lineup

Universal Robots’ current collaborative robot lineup is broadly divided into two generations:

e-Series (2018~): UR3e, UR5e, UR10e, UR16e
Next-Generation Series (2022~): UR20, UR30 (with new joint design)

Full Comparison Table

Source: Universal Robots Official Datasheet

Model	Payload	Reach	Weight	Repeatability	Max TCP Speed	Max Power	Features
UR3e	3 kg (6.6 lb)	500 mm (19.7 in)	11.2 kg	±0.03 mm	1 m/s	300 W	Tabletop, precision work
UR5e	5 kg (11 lb)	850 mm (33.5 in)	20.6 kg	±0.03 mm	1 m/s	570 W	General purpose, balanced performance
UR10e	12.5 kg (27.5 lb)	1300 mm (51.2 in)	33.5 kg	±0.05 mm	1 m/s	615 W	Large workspace
UR16e	16 kg (35.3 lb)	900 mm (35.4 in)	33.1 kg	±0.05 mm	1 m/s	585 W	High payload, compact
UR20	20 kg (44.1 lb)	1750 mm (68.9 in)	64 kg	±0.05 mm	2 m/s	750 W	Maximum reach, next-gen
UR30	30 kg (66.1 lb)*	1300 mm (51.2 in)	63.5 kg	±0.1 mm	2 m/s	750 W	Maximum payload

*UR30 supports up to 35 kg (77.1 lb) when meeting manual conditions

Common Specifications

Common specifications applicable to all UR collaborative robot series (e-Series and next-generation series):

Item	Specification	Notes
Degrees of Freedom (DOF)	6-axis rotary joints	Same for all models
IP Rating	IP54	Same for all models
Operating Temperature	0-50°C (32-122°F)	Same for all models
Humidity	90% RH	Same for all models
Controller Frequency	500 Hz	e-Series (4x improvement over CB3)
Interface	12-inch touchscreen, PolyScope GUI	Same for all models
Communication Protocols	Modbus, PROFIsafe, EtherNet/IP	Same for all models

Note: Next-gen series (UR20, UR30) share software platform with e-Series; see official datasheet for detailed specifications

e-Series Model Details (UR3e, UR5e, UR10e, UR16e)

UR3e - Tabletop Precision Work

The compact yet powerful UR3e supports 360-degree rotation on all wrist joints and infinite rotation on the end joint. Optimized for high-precision assembly, screw fastening, and lightweight part handling.

UR5e - General-Purpose Cobot

The mid-sized UR5e offers excellent balance of size and power, making it the most versatile for various applications. Fast setup and easy programming make it ideal for high-mix, low-volume production.

UR10e - Large Workspace

With 1300mm reach, suitable for heavy work requiring large workspace such as palletizing, machine tending, and welding.

UR16e - High Payload Compact

Provides high 16kg payload within a small footprint. Ideal for heavy machine tending, material handling, packaging, and bolt/nut fastening.

Next-Generation Series (UR20, UR30)

Starting in 2022, Universal Robots began releasing next-generation models with completely new joint designs. These models share the e-Series software platform but have fundamentally different hardware architecture.

UR20 - Next-Gen Flagship

Completely new joint design enables faster cycle times and heavier load handling. 1750mm reach designed to cover the full height of standard Euro pallets.

UR30 - Maximum Payload

Based on UR20 architecture, provides excellent motion control and lift capacity. Used for various heavy work including palletizing, machine tending, dispensing, quality inspection, and welding.

Safety Features and Certifications

Safety Certifications

Certification	Content
TÜV NORD	ISO 10218-1 certified
ISO 13849-1	Category 3, Performance Level d (PLd)
ISO/TS 15066	Collaborative robot technical specification compliance

Patented Safety System

Universal Robots’ patented safety system provides 8 adjustable safety functions:

Joint Position - Set allowable position range for each joint
Joint Speed - Limit maximum speed for each joint
TCP Position - Limit Tool Center Point work area
TCP Orientation - Limit tool direction
TCP Speed - Limit tool movement speed
TCP Force - Limit maximum force on contact
Momentum - Limit robot momentum
Power - Limit total power consumption

Force Limiting and Collision Detection

Transmits less than 150N force on collision, enabling operation without safety barriers in most applications
Complies with ISO/TS 15066-based allowable force/pressure standards per body part
Designed referencing charts developed at University of Mainz

ISO/TS 15066 Contribution

Lasse Kieffer, Universal Robots’ Global Compliance Officer, participated in the ISO committee that wrote the ISO/TS 15066 specification. This specification defines force, pressure, and speed limits for collaborative robot applications and four safe interaction methods:

Power and Force Limiting
Speed and Separation Monitoring
Hand-guiding
Safety-rated Stop

Note: ISO/TS 15066 has been integrated into ISO 10218-2:2025, changing from “cobot” to “collaborative applications” terminology to emphasize safety based on usage rather than the robot itself.

Status as Industry Standard

Why Universal Robots is the Industry Standard

Market Share: Leader in the collaborative robot market, pioneered the global cobot market
Proven Reliability: Over 50,000 installations and 10+ years of industrial field operation experience
Ecosystem: 300+ UR+ certified products, extensive third-party compatibility
Education Infrastructure: Systematic training and certification programs through UR Academy
Standards Leadership: Direct participation in establishing collaborative robot safety standards like ISO/TS 15066
Open Platform: Research and development friendly with open programming interfaces

Major Application Areas

Machine Tending: CNC, injection molding automation
Palletizing: Product stacking and unloading
Assembly: Precision part assembly and screw fastening
Quality Inspection: Inspection with vision systems
Welding: Collaborative welding applications
R&D: Robot research at universities and research institutes

VLA Research Applications

Vision-Language-Action (VLA) Models and Collaborative Robots

VLA models are leading a paradigm shift in robotics and Embodied AI by combining vision, language, and action into an integrated framework.

Open X-Embodiment Dataset

Google DeepMind collaborated with over 20 academic research institutions to build the Open X-Embodiment dataset:

22 robot embodiments (Franka, xArm, Sawyer, Google Robot, etc.)
500+ skills, 150,000+ tasks
1 million+ episodes of demonstration data
Collaborating institutions: CMU, ETH Zürich, NYU, Stanford, UC Berkeley, UIUC, etc.

Major VLA Models

Model	Developer	Features
RT-2	Google DeepMind	First VLA model, trained on web data and robot data simultaneously
RT-1-X	Google DeepMind	RT-1 based, trained on multi-robot data
RT-2-X	Google DeepMind	3x improvement in emergent skills over RT-2
OpenVLA	Stanford et al.	7B parameter open-source VLA, 16.5% higher success rate vs RT-2-X
Gemini Robotics	Google DeepMind	20Hz high-frequency motor control, humanoid/industrial robot support

UR Robots in VLA Research

Universal Robots collaborative robots provide the following advantages for VLA research:

Accessibility: Relatively affordable pricing and safe operation suitable for lab environments
Programming Ease: ROS compatible with various SDK support
Standardization: Widely used, advantageous for research result reproducibility
Gripper Compatibility: Various end-effector support through UR+ ecosystem
Safety: Safe human-robot interaction during data collection with force limiting

Research Trends

VLA-RL: Improving pre-trained VLA models with online reinforcement learning for out-of-distribution scenarios
Multi-embodiment Learning: Integrating data from various robot platforms for generalization improvement
Fine-tuning: Efficient fine-tuning for specific tasks with LoRA etc.